On Monday the 31st of May 2010, within the territory of the city of Krusevac representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees, the German non-governmental organization ASB, and the center for social work Krusevac, signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the construction of housing units intended for social housing in protected conditions within the context of the project, “Support to refugees and internally displaced persons in Serbia.”

Present at the official signing ceremony were:  Mr. Ivan Gerginov, Assistant Commissioner for the reception of care, return and integration, Mr. Desimir Pavlovic, Mayor of the City of Krusevac, Ms. Sladjana Djabric, director of the Center for Social Work and Mr. Ivan Marin, manager of ASB.

The project is funded by the EU through the EU Delegation in Serbia, utilizing the instrument of pre-accession assistance for 2008 (IPA 2008).  The said project worth 4.2 million euros in 2010 and 2011 will provide housing and aim at the further economic empowerment of 750 refugees and internally displaced persons.

Commissariat for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia, as well as beneficiary institutions of the Project, in cooperation with the Delegation of the EU and executive partners will focus the funds mentioned to municipalities and cities in Serbia that particularly affected by prolonged exile and displacement.

Seeing as the territory of the city of Krusevac is currently home to some 9,000 refugees and internally displaced persons, alongside a large contingent of former refugees residing in a state of social dependence, it is therefore determined that 10 housing units intended for social housing in protected conditions be built on the territory of the aforementioned city. The anticipated investment value of the facility amounts to 180,000 euros.

The beneficiaries of these housing units will be selected on the basis of merit as determined by criteria established by a commission which will be composed of representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees, Centre for Social Welfare, UHCR and ASB.

The Assistant Commissioner Ivan Gerginov has expressed gratitude on behalf of the Commissariat for Refugees, to the Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Serbia, for the assistance they have extended in support of providing durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced persons as well as for their aid in helping meet the prerequisites for EU membership.

“The Republic of Serbia is preeminent amongst European countries in terms of the question of forced migration. Following the conclusion of hostilities in the former Yugoslavia, Serbia has provided shelter to more than a million refugees, displaced persons, those affected by war and IDPs,” Gerginov stated, adding that 18 years since the beginning of the refugee crisis, the Republic of Serbia is maximizing its efforts to effectively invest both local, budgetary and donor resources, allocating them for the improvement of housing conditions and towards the economic empowerment of the most vulnerable categories of refugees and internally displaced persons.